Author
Topic: I'm soooo lost (Read 3859 times)

Barbarian Horde

Hey!!! I'm a newbie and though i still have a lot to learn about role playing I'm alright though not an expert. Well, anyway I'm sooooo lost and have no idea where to go and what to do. I would be really grateful if someone could give me a few pointers.

Role playing games (RPGs) are unique combinations of imagination, storytelling, acting, and standard Games. A group that gets together to play becomes a troupe. Each session they come together to play is called a run. One of the players is designated the lead player, called the GamesMaster or GM. The GM supports and directs the play of the others. The other players take on the roles of characters. Play normally occurs sitting around a table top, but any area can be used. Like in Imagination [You might of called it "Lets pretend", "Cowboys and Indians", or "Ice Rebels and Stormtroupeers"], each player takes on a role of a character, a person in an imaginary time and place. The play occurs sitting around a table, with players describing and occasionally acting out what their characters do. Sometimes props are used, including maps, miniatures, and tokens, but they are not required for play. The action occurs in the minds of the troupe.

By playing, the troupe creates an ongoing story based on the characters being played. The lead player (GM) has many of the responsibilities of an author or storyteller, by creating and presenting the setting, situations, and supporting characters for every scene in the story. And that is where the GM's similarities to an author ends, as a GM does not control the protagonist/ heroes of their story. The other players do. The players are writing most of the story. The GM can be considered something of an editor for this group story, as they make sure everything fits together.

A game scene is just like a movie's or play's scene, beginning and ending when the action ends, the setting changes drastically, or the type of action changes dramatically. The GM, like an author, determines the level of description for that scene. Downtime is the same as narration or transition scenes, where large chunks of time/ space occur and little is played out except some bookkeeping. Uptime is the time that most story/ movies occur in. Most actions are narrated through with occasional die rolls, or other mechanics, being used to judge results. Uptime scenes could be only a few moments of the characters life to an hour, or even a day. Tactical time is for action scenes, i.e. chases, fights, or other conflicts. It uses additional dramatic rules to keep track of all the action. Every scene is made up of impulses (call them turns/ segments/ or rounds): a moment of action or change in the scene. [Consider an impulse a moment of action captured on film, though that section of action may be on the cutting room floor instead of view on the screne]. Every character in a scene will be able to do something over an impulse. In most cases, impulses are only kept track of during tactical time.

Actual play is performed to an extent. The GM presents the setting, situation, and the dialog/ action of a supporting character in their best storyteller manner. The players "act out" [gestures, facial expression, accents, and occasionally getting up and showing actions] and verbally describe the actions their characters' take. The GM interprets their actions fairly and impartially and describes the results. The rhythm continues, back and forth until the end of the run. (See example to the side.) Every now and again during play, a point of drama will come up. A point of drama is some kind of conflict or obstacle that the character needs to be overcome to advance their story.

That is when the rule mechanics come into play. This is a game. And, a game implies fairness through rules. The GM has the role of referee, selecting the appropriate dramatic system and resolving the action. All physical and metaphysical actions are resolved directly using rules, augmented by roleplaying. Social and mental situations allow for more character/ players input, so the resolution system is modified by the character’s roleplaying. The use of rules is what makes it a game, rather than an acting exercise. Games are normally played to win- some criteria for victory. A roleplaying game is unlike a traditional or conventional game, as there are no winners or losers, only players being entertained. Each Run presents new and interesting challenges for the players (and the game master). Sessions continue until the GM declares their story is over.

A roleplaying game has rules that function as guidelines to play. There are three types of rules: mechanic, play, and the most important, the common sense rules. Mechanical rules provide way to describe things in game terms, and how to use those descriptions to resolve actions and points of drama. They provide a common language for the troupe to use to avoid misunderstandings about the game. Most rule booklets revolves around mechanic rules. Play rules are the game etiquette and social rules the troupe follows while playing. They cover such things as food and drink in or at the gaming area, the permissibility or boundaries of side conversations, the amount of rules talk allowed during a run, loudness levels, levels of politeness for the players. These rules are not normally written down, but agreed upon by all members of the troupe. New groups should work together to find a comfortable set of play rules. The common sense category defines rules based on, well for lack of a better term, common sense. They are actually the most important rules to a game. Most games imply these rules exist.

There is another category of rules. However, they are not official rules. House rules are rule variations that a given troupe uses. These rules could be different interpretations of the printed rules or rule variants that group uses. They are perfectly acceptable. The GM is the final word on all rules being used for his/ her game. All the players playing the game should be told what rules are being used for any game they are playing in before play starts. Most GMs present players with a campaign packet. The variations should be noted prominently in them.

In my personal opinion, it is better to ask for clarification on the question, before answering it. I am quite sure the information overload that you are providing will deter any newby. It would (actualy it still does) deter me from asking any questions at any time in the future... (unless I think others will answer my question.)

Yours ylorea

Logged

______________________________________The answer is 42, but does anybody know the question?

How would it deter anybody? It shows me that no matter what kind of question I have it will be treated with a level of seriousness. If you ask a question and don't want the answer...now that is a problem.

I am just trying to figure out how to get all these gems together before they get lost deep in the forum!!

Your point is correct, in a ideaal situation, where people like to spend long time reading.....

In general however people only read what they can see in one screen.

In the company I work, we had the same kind of discussion and then we actualy had a "expert" come in who did "research". This shows (oke it was on email, but he said this could be superimposed on reading fora as well.) that people only pay attention to what they can see without scrolling thru the message. Only if the first say five lines are intresting, do they read on beyond what they could say when opening the email.

This acutaly means that even if the information in lines 6-20 is intresting there is very little chance I will read on.

(Oke this is based on statistics and everyone knows that the worst lies in life are statistics.)Still I have a profound feeling that there is truth in this.

Yours Ylorea p.s. Are these links not already in the link library? Else you should(could) ask Moonhunter to register them there as well.

Logged

______________________________________The answer is 42, but does anybody know the question?

I have read that before as well and is somehing to keep in mind when building a web page as well.

BUT

This statistic is really only applicable to those things that don't have the interest of the viewer. If I asked a question and somebody answered it, I am already involved with the process and have invested interest in the information.

That statistic is more applicable to somebody aimlessly surfing or who is sent something to review. In that case if there is no interest in it then the first lines would have to grab the interest, as you said, or else they would skip it.

If I asked a question or visited a website of roleplaying I, and most people, are more then happy to scroll. It is a matter of interest, and asking a question directly implies interest and so a reply would most likely be read.

You obviously have no interest and so your attitude towards it proves both of our points. If you asked the question I am quite sure you would have read through the answers, since you didn't it is quite reasonable that you don't care about the answer and you can't guess what the interest is of others.

The way you approached this would perhaps keep others from answering because they don't want you saying their answer isn't appropriate. How many people want to answer questions if they are told their answers are too much or not appreciated? So now there are questions but nobody wants to answer them for fear of being ridiculed.

Not you specifically, but the overall reaction the the excellent answer of Moonhunter was negative....which simply baffled me. How could people complain about a comprehensive answer.

But we drug this on long enough and it hasn't been horrible productive anyway.

Any complaints about deleting all comments besides the ones that actually fit in this topic? Or should I move the comments that are off topic into their own thread in the Tavern? Either way they are being spliced off this topic so as to not pollute the question/answer with our entertaining debate.